Telepathic In Forks
by Rookiereads
Summary: What would happen if Bella could read minds long before she came to Forks? The Cullens won't be able to keep their secret long this time. EdwardxBella, Canon parings.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day.**

###

I slumped in my economy airline flight seat, briefly allowing myself a moment to feel sorry for myself. It wasn't that I _regretted_ my decision to leave Arizona and my mom, exactly- I just wished there had been an option that could leave everyone feeling happy. But I remembered our conversation a few days ago.

…

_"Are you sure about this, honey? I don't want to make you feel like you feel like you have to go anything…" said Renee, hope mingled with pity and uncertainty. As usual, her thoughts were flickering all over the place. '_I should stay home with her. But it would be so nice to go with Phil for a while… No! Oh, I'm a terrible mother, asking her to do this. That's it, I have to stay here, I can't make her go to Forks just so I can spend some time with my husband…'

_I hastened to reassure her. "No, mom, honestly, I'll be fine! It's been forever since I saw Charlie. Really, I want to do this." _

_Her eyes narrowed suspiciously._ 'You know, I don't believe her at all. Her eyes won't meet mine, and she's blushing. She was never a good liar. She's sacrificing her freedom for me.'_ She suddenly sighed. _'And I don't suppose there's anything I can do to get her to change her mind. She's always been so mature for her age…"

_"If that's what you want…" she trailed off dubiously._

_I nodded my head once, making sure to meet her eyes this time._

_"All right then." Her decision made, she lost all traces of sadness in her eyes, replacing the dull look with a spark of excitement. "I'll email you every day with updates. I love you, honey." _

_"I love you, too." My reply was genuine. I refused to focus on the fact that I had essentially just sentenced myself to an undetermined time spent in my personal hell._

_'_Oh, I have to call Phil, he'll be so thrilled, I'm sure he'll get signed. I have to pack…' _Her thoughts raced ahead while I settled into a state of resignation._

…

Shaking my head, I tried to clear my head of such self-pitying memories. Really, knowing exactly what my mother was thinking was unfair. How could I hear how much she genuinely wanted what was best for me and not want the same for her?

I had been able to read minds for as long as I could remember. My mother didn't know. Nobody did. Of course, it was next to impossible to hide from her. Luckily, my gift wasn't fully formed until I was around eight, and by then I knew how disastrous it would be to have anyone find out. Up until that point, I just appeared ridiculously perceptive, somehow understanding exactly what people meant. Now my gift was much more advanced. I could get thoughts, words, memories, images… I winced, recalling a few disgusting people I had briefly met, picking up their thoughts as they passed. Not that I wanted to see everything some people were thinking.

To make it worse, it seemed my freakishness didn't end there. It appeared I had some sort of physical shield as well. I had only been able to consciously manipulate it a few times, but it rose to the surface of my skin every time I am in a situation where I could be injured, by tripping, usually. It was exceedingly difficult to use at any other time, but with a significant amount of strain, I could even push it out a few feet.

Sitting up a bit straighter, I made an effort to call it up now. A light sheen of sweat broke out on my face. After only a minute or so, I saw the usual iridescent sheen that could not be seen by other humans form a thin layer over my skin. I smiled triumphantly at my success. I was getting better every time I practiced. My grin was soon replaced by a frown. _Better at being a freak,_ I thought, semi-engulfed with melancholy. I flopped back down against the back of my seat, gazing out the window.

I heard an announcement over the loudspeakers that the plane would be landing soon. Now that I was paying attention, I could hear glimpses of thoughts.

_'…can't wait to see her…'_

_'This book is excellent, I wonder if Sharon…'_

_'…don't know what's taking so long…"_

_'…gonna go insane if I have to sit behind this screaming toddler one more minute…'_

_'Well, hello there, beautiful."_

That last thought captured my attention, and I snapped my head up to see a man a few isles away running his eyes up and down my body appreciatively. When he noticed I was looking at him, he smirked at me and winked suggestively. Cheeks fire-hydrant red, I looked away, redoubling my efforts to block the mind of _that_ person specifically.

Eventually, the plane arrived at the airport. I hated being in large crowds. Even doing by best to tune out everyone, I kept picking up random snippets of words that made it difficult to focus on anything. This was bad for my already questionable balance. I took extra care picking my way through the sea of people. Luckily, this was Forks, so the minuscule crowd at here was easily managed. Few came to this cloudy, constantly raining town.

I saw Charlie waiting by his police cruiser. His thoughts were nervous. "Hi, Bells," he murmured. _'What do I say to her? What the heck are you supposed to say to your seventeen-year-old daughter who you haven't seen in years?' _"Should I take your luggage?" he said gruffly, but still looking as if he was very glad to see me. I nodded, and he accepted my single bag, hearing him mentally wonder at my light packing. I climbed into the passenger side.

The ride was mostly silent. I tried to tune out his thoughts, but I knew that he was pleased that I came to live with him, but feeling awkward that he probably wouldn't be much company. I didn't mind. I was naturally withdrawn, some of which came from him, but mostly because I spent most of my time trying to tune out people's voices, and the line between real and mental blurred.

When I arrived home, my attention was immediately drawn by a huge red monster of a Chevy that looked like it was from the sixties. I immediately fell in love, and made sure my dad knew it.

"You're welcome, Bells." he said. _'I was worried she wouldn't like it. I'll have to thank Billy next time we go fishing.' _His mind began filling with images of the activity as I headed up to my room. It looked no different from the last time I saw it, years and years ago. Too exhausted to even unpack, I fell into bed. I cried for a few hours, at my situation, at my freakishness, at the world. Eventually I had cried myself out, and so I fell asleep.

###

Ok, so this is my first FanFiction, and the original idea _did_ come while reading another story: _daybreak _by _xSirenSongsx _(check it out- it's cool!). However, this version is completely different. I gave Bella some different powers as well, and altered some of the ones _xSirenSongsx_ gave her. If even _one_ person leaves a review, positive or negative, it will make my day! :) Next chapter is where she meets the Cullens, which is where it starts to get interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day.**

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When I woke up, it only took one glance in the mirror to tell that I was a mess. My eyes were red and puffy and my hair could've been nesting grounds for some exotic bird. This caused a slight panic. I wasn't normally picky about my looks, but it was the first day of school, so I wanted to look somewhat nice. Or at least, as nice as possible, considering my thoroughly average looks. After a shower, I pulled on a light blue sweater and a pair of jeans, going for comfortable rather than stylish. I ate a breakfast bar and made for the door, then stopped and grinned, the memory of my new truck coming back to me. I hopped in and put the key in the ignition, starting a bit at the roar that could rival the noise of that from a particularly bad thunderstorm. Oh, well. At least it was mine.

The drive to school was uneventful. The premises were designed oddly— there were multiple buildings, despite the fact that one large building could have easily fit the tiny number of students actually attending. I arrived early, parked in a random spot, and exited my truck, making my way towards the front office. There was a woman behind the main desk with red hair and in a purple t-shirt. Her thoughts went from simple curiosity to full-blown Spanish Inquisition when I introduced myself as Isabella Swan.

_'Oh, of course- Isabella! Charlie's daughter! Didn't she come from Arizona? Hmm… I must have gotten that wrong. She looks so pale! I heard her mother was cheating on Charlie. I can't wait to talk to Mrs. Stanley… unless she finds out from her daughter…'_

Slightly repulsed by the amount of gossip that seemed to be surrounding me, I forced herself to respond to the lady's polite "Hello" in a civil manner. Luckily, I had had lots of practice with people thinking in less-than-flattering ways, but rarely towards me. I generally laid low, preferring to let Renee be the adventurous one.

She gave me my schedule, a map, and a slip of paper that my teachers would have to sign, smiling politely all the while thinking up horrible bits of gossip to share with her friends. By the time we had finished, I was wearing a grimace thinly concealed as a smile, and it was to my great relief that I finally escaped the small office.

_'I wonder what her problem is.'_

Rolling my eyes, I headed back to my truck to wait for a reasonable time to head for my first class. Just as I picked up one of my favorite novels — _Sense and Sensibility,_ by Jane Austen — I noticed a shiny silver Volvo pulling into a lot. It was gorgeous in comparison to every other car here, but as I realized moments later, nothing compared to the people that soon emerged.

My jaw literally dropped. There were five people, if you could call them that — angels might be more accurate — climbing out of the car with more grace than a professional dancer could hope for. My eyes were immediately drawn to the biggest one of the group, a man with dark brown hair that curled slightly at the ends. He put grizzly bears to shame. By his side was a girl almost painfully exquisite to look at, with golden blonde hair almost down to her hips. She couldn't be compared to any model — that would be an insult to her beauty. The other girl was the polar opposite. She was just as lovely, but she had cropped black hair, and she was _tiny_- I doubted she was 4' 8", and very skinny, but not in a malnourished way. Practically glued to her side was a tall male with hair nearly the same shade of blond as the first girl's. But they were not the ones who drew my attention.

Standing by himself was a boy with hair the most amazing shade of bronze. If the model had looked gorgeous, he was even more so. More than that, though, there was something about him that made me stare at him longer than any of the others, though I realized it had not been long. I had just been in my own world.

All had the same deathly pale skin tone. All had the same butterscotch eyes.

All were impossibly, intensely, heartbreakingly beautiful.

I have never tried to read someone else's mind before. It had always been my gift acting up unintentionally. Even when I was eight, when I first had the ability to do so, I realized that it was wrong, an invasion of people's privacy. I swore to never violate people's minds intentionally.

I didn't think twice before diving into the minds of the angels.

It came easily, naturally, to place my mind in that of theirs. I sat back and listened to everything they were thinking.

The only thing I could detect from the blond male was that he was in a huge amount of pain… from his _throat_? Shaking my head, I looked into the mind of the black-haired pixie.

_'Ooh, I need to plan a shopping trip _sooo_ badly, I haven't been in _weeks_…'_

The oddest thing interrupted her train of thought. An image of a pale pink strapless dress flashed though my mind. And it seemed as if the girl had seen it to. But this was completely different than her just picturing the dress in her mind. It was almost as if it she hadn't seen the dress yet, but was going to. It was very odd. She continued:

_'That has potential, but I would need to do some serious alterations to the hem. Maybe give it an empire waist? Oh, that would be so much cuter!'_

I shook my head. I was beginning to suspect that girl had a gift, possibly as strange as mine. Or maybe I was just looking too much into this.

I peered into the blond's mind, then just as quickly pulled out. She was reminiscing about some R rated scenes with the large male that I did _not_ need to see. They were definitely together. Thinking back, I realized the blond male was probably together with the pixie. I had heard the same loving undertone to their thoughts. Not as glaringly obvious, but just as strong, if not stronger. I checked in with another person's thoughts.

_'Aw, man, I hate school. I can see where these humans are coming from. Six hours a day of absolute crap. But hey, Eddie, gives you a chance to flirt with all your admirers, huh?'_

I blinked. That was from the largest male, and I could have sworn he was… _talking_ to one of his companions. In his mind. I felt horrible confusion, and a glimmer of hope. Maybe I wasn't the only one with my talent. But none of them were looking at me oddly, wondering why I was so obsessed with stealing their thoughts. so I assumed that I had misinterpreted the big one. And then… The bronze haired one (Eddie?) looked directly at the big one and _rolled his eyes._

Excited, I dove into his mind.

Sure enough, his mind was filled fuller than I would've thought possible with the mental conversations of those around him. He didn't have nearly the mental control I did, and I assumed he couldn't block them out. I supposed the pixie had a gift too. But my attention was drawn back to the bronze haired male as I registered his feelings of surprise and confusion.

_'Hmm… that's odd… I don't… no. That's not possible. The beautiful human in the truck… I can't read her mind!'_

I was embarrassed to discover that I lingered for much longer over his lovely mental voice — like velvet — and the fact that I could have _sworn _he called me beautiful than the fact that he was alerting the rest of his family to me, his mind-reading anomaly. I realized I had been staring at them, book forgotten, for far too long. I packed up my school supplies, rushing off to my next class— English, Building 3. I steeled myself, telling myself to not look back, don't look back at the strange group.

I failed.

Just before I entered, I glanced over my shoulder, to see five pairs of perfect eyes the color of molten gold burning a hole through my soul.

###

Oh. My. _Gosh_.

I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW! I have actual PEOPLE reading the words I WROTE!

This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful people that have left me reviews—

_Melorama_

_AnnyaVolteri_

_pumpkinmykitty_

_TinyButDangerous_

Really, you guys probably made my week. But thanks to anyone who bothered to even check it out! I truly appreciate it.

Anyhow, back to the story. So, no, Bella did not actually talk to the Cullens yet. But she learned so much about them. Now, Bella knows that Edward has the gift of mind-reading just like her, and she at least suspects that Alice can read the future. Next chapter is the scene in the cafeteria. SPOILER— she sits with the Cullens :)

Update: Ok, SO SORRY, but I forgot to add this, and it's sort of important. Should I add the Cullen's POV? Or should I stick with Bella?

-Anna


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day.**

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**Bella's POV:**

Right now, my emotions were such a mess. I was delighted that it appeared I was not the only one with my… _unusual…_ talent. I was freaked out — though perhaps not as terrified as I should've been — that they seemed to be not completely human. The big one's thoughts referenced humans as if the term didn't apply to them, and _inhumane_ described their beauty perfectly. Finally, I was curious — much more than curious — at what they could possibly be. My raging mental emotions were more than an effective shield against the thoughts of any third party. I wasn't fully present as I got my slip signed by my teacher and was assigned a seat in the back of the room. I was immune to the stares and whispers that I received as the small town enigma. I didn't even feel as guilty as I should have when I ignored the attempts of a black-haired boy across the aisle to start a conversation.

All day I was focused on the mysterious angels.

During Trigonometry, I sat next to a short girl with curly brown hair. She was talking about the latest trends and gushing over how we'd be such good friends. I interrupted her spiel.

"I noticed a few people," _angels_, "today that seemed a bit," _dazzling,_ "different."

The girl, Jessica, I think her name was, understood what I was talking about immediately. "Oh," she said, giggling furiously, "You mean the _Cullens_. Yeah, they're really weird. Gorgeous, of course, but weird."

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently. I knew exactly what she meant, but I wanted more details.

"Well, they were all adopted by Dr. Cullen and his wife," she started, delighted to have my full attention. "The Hales — Rosalie and Jasper, the blond ones, Mrs. Cullen is like their aunt or something — and the Cullens; Alice, Emmett, and Edward. Alice is little one with black hair, Emmett is the absolutely _huge_one, and Edward," she giggled again, "Is the totally handsome one. And they're all _together._" she said, shock and contempt coloring her tone. "Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Alice. Edward isn't with anyone, but he doesn't date. We all think he's gay." Now her tone was frustrated. A memory of hers filtered through my wall.

_…_

_I caught up to the boy as he left the lunchroom and looked up to him, batting my eyelids flirtatiously. "Hello, Edward." I said seductively, looking into his face. He didn't acknowledge me._

_I decided to turn in up a notch. "So, I'm not doing anything tonight. Did you want to go see a movie with me or something?" I asked, sounding pretty hot._

_Now he stopped and met my eyes. I took this as a good sign, until he opened his mouth._

_"Jessica, I'm really not interested," he sighed, sounding tired. "Not now, not ever. If you'll excuse me, the rest of my family is waiting." He walked off to his Volvo, where the other Cullens and Hales were, in fact, standing._

_I blinked, shocked. Turning down Lauren was one thing, but me? I was much prettier than her. I sighed. There was no way he was straight._

…

I didn't know whether to burst out laughing or tear Jessica to pieces with the sudden unexpected flare of jealousy that popped up. So I did neither. I merely went back to ignoring her and everyone else for the rest of Trig, and for Spanish as well, which it seemed she had with me. Not that she noticed; she continued on with her monotone commentary that sort of faded into the background noise.

After Spanish, I had lunch. I walked to the building with my new… _friend_. At first glance into the room, I instantly noticed the Cullens sitting at their own table at in the corner of the cafeteria. Jessica soon returned my attention to her, which, as I realized, was how she liked it: everyone focused on her. We went thought the line together, then I trailed after Jess for a while, uncertain of where to sit.

"Ooh! You should sit with us!" She squealed, gesturing to a table.

I did a cursory glance at the people at the table. There was a girl with cornsilk hair who was thinking spitefully of me. There were three boys, one of whom had blond hair and a boyish face and was thinking rather… _impure_ thoughts about me, which made me more uncomfortable than the first girl. The only one who looked somewhat nice was a shy girl at the end of the table with honey blonde hair and light smile on her lips. I realized I had a choice to make.

I could sit with these regular, if slightly irritating, humans. I would blend in with this group of people. I could probably even make some friends, at least with the shy girl. Or- I could sit with the Cullen's, who weren't normal by any stretch of the imagination, and probably weren't even completely human.

It wasn't even a choice, really.

"No thanks, Jessica!" I said cheerily, heading towards a complete mystery.

**Edward's POV:**

It was times like this that I appreciated the ease at which my vampire brain could multitask.

Even while the back of my mind was listening to my classes (not that I needed it, what with my century of knowledge and near-perfect recollection) and acting as a radio tower for people's thoughts, the largest part of my brain was still free to puzzle over Isabella Swan.

It wasn't difficult to pick up her name. Everyone in Forks was excited for her arrival, and everyone was gossiping about her. Not that I had been paying attention... until I noticed her thoughts. Or lack thereof.

She most certainly was not a vampire. I had heard her heartbeat all the way across the parking lot. So was it simply a genetic fluke? Or did it hint at the possibility of an exceptionally strong supernatural talent if she were to be changed? I made a mental note to ask my siblings at lunch. Another thought occurred to me. Was it possible that Alice couldn't see her, or that her emotions could not be interpreted by Jasper?

I shook my head. I was far more interested in this random girl than could be excused by her being a mental mute. With mild disgust, I realized I was just as bad as all the other human boys thinking about Isabella. Half of them had already convinced themselves that she was their one true love, and the other half - well, they were imagining her in various states of undress. Just thinking about it made me clench my hands into fists. At least I wasn't as bad as that, I thought to myself. But then I had to wonder why their thoughts bothered me so much _now_, when they had previously been only a source of slight discomfort and annoyance.

Lunch, I told myself. I could talk to my family about it at lunch. Not that I didn't know how my family would react. I let out a slight chuckle. Rosalie would be pissed at this girl for somehow subconsciously managing to defy me, and through me, her. Emmett would be pleased that anyone at all could escape my mind reading, and once again think of how quickly he thought he could beat me in a fight without my "cheating". Alice would be pouty, especially if I was correct, and she couldn't tell Isabella's future. Jasper would, as always, worry that this would somehow put Alice in danger. Which was NOT something he needed to be worrying about right now. Not on top of his bloodlust.

"Mr. Cullen, do you know the correct answer?" said my English teacher sweetly, shocking me out of my musings. Her thoughts were bordering on malicious.

_'Ha, finally, one of the Cullens slips up. If he'd been paying attention, he'd know the correct answer is Emily Brontë.'_

"Emily Brontë," I replied, flashing her an innocent smile, as if I hadn't just picked the answer out of her brain.

She seemed a bit... overwhelmed, for a moment. Her heartbeat stuttered and her mind stopped thinking coherently. Then she mumbled that my answer was indeed correct before heading back to the front of the class.

_'Damn Cullens,' _she was thinking. _'Damn perfect, intelligent, way too young for me Cullens.'_

Convinced she wouldn't bother me again this class period, I once again retreated to my thoughts.

...

Time _was_, in fact, moving, however slowly it appeared, and so lunchtime did eventually arrive. I passed thought the lunch line with my siblings, conferring with them in voices much too low to be heard by humans about my inability to hear the mind of the Swan girl.

_'You, too?' _thought Alice_. 'I can't get anything from her future, it's like she doesn't exist!"_

_'I can't feel her emotions,'_ Jasper confided in me. _'It's not a lack of feelings, either. According to my sixth sense, no one is in the space she occupies.'_

This was... Strange, I reflected, as we sat down at our usual table. So strange I almost didn't notice Isabella enter the lunchroom and go through the lunch line. So strange I almost didn't notice as she had a brief, two-line conversation with Jessica Stanley. So strange I almost didn't notice as she began weaving her way towards the back of the room- towards _us,_ I realized. Towards my family's table.

Strange, but not _that_ strange.

"Hi, I'm Bella," she introduced herself, taking a seat across from mine, next to Emmett. _Emmett,_ of all people. Wasn't she uncomfortable at all? My family's thoughts were incredulous.

Rosalie wanted to know, _'Who the hell does this this arrogant human think she is?'_

Emmett was disappointed, not to mention concerned, that he seemed to appear so non-threatening these days that random humans were approaching him.

Alice was cautiously ecctactic that she had a possible human guinea pig to go shopping and play dress up with, if this was one of the few humans not affected by our menacing demeanor. To her, the whole mental mute thing was inconsequential against this new development.

Jasper was concerned by his blindness in regards to how Bella was feeling. He couldn't tell if she was feigning comfort, or genuinely felt that way.

I decided that the best thing to do was to proceed as if everything was normal. I introduced everyone, gesturing to each member of my family in turn. At the end, I took a short breath. Suprisingly, I couldn't smell Bella very well. It was as if she was standing very far away. It frustrated me, my unablity to simply pick the reasons for her being so... _different_ out of her mind. I felt a flash of pity for all the other mortals without my particular talent.

She smiled us, completely at ease. "Nice to meet you. I'm new here."

Obviously. Alice was the first to respond. "And how are you liking Forks?" she asked, brimming with enthusiasm.

At first, her forehead creased and she stifled a wince, but she composed herself so fast no one without our enhanced eyesight would've noticed. "It's _very_ different from Arizona." she chuckled, keeping it light. "I'll have to go shopping soon; my previous wardrobe wasn't suited for such a rainy area of Washington."

While I reflected on the necessity of the clouds and the rain, Alice went off in a completely different direction. The magic word had been said.

"SHOPPING!?" she squealed, drawing the attention of several nearby tables. "Oh, Bella, we HAVE to go together. I know all the best spots in Seattle, or if you want, we could head a bit farther, I've been DYING to check out the Del Amo Fashion Center in Los Angeles..."

For the rest of lunch, Bella settled easily into conversation with the Cullens. Alice lectured her in her taste in fashion, which, according to her, needed a whole lot of help. Surprisingly, Bella had read a few of the same books Jasper was interested in. Of course, he had read much, much more - one of the perks of being immortal, you've got a lot of free time - and so he recommended a few. Emmett was more than happy to give her a brief and gory description of "Call of Duty", his current favorite human video game. Shocking me even further, we had a brief discussion on our favorite bits of classical music, which it appeared Bella had a liking for. This solidified my case that she was different from every other human. What 17 year old would _voluntarily _listen to classical music? The only one that remained stubbornly silent was Rosalie, who still couldn't belive the human had the audassity to enter out presence.

Slowly but surely, I found myself becoming infatuated with this person, with this _human_. I caught myself staring into her lovely brown eyes far too often, amazed at the depth there. I was entranced by the way her pale skin contrasted with her mahogany hair in the most exquisite way.

And that was a bad thing. Yes, that was very bad. Because if she knew what I was, she'd want nothing to do with me.

Almost immediately after I had this thought, some emotion passed across her face - pain? confusion? - and she stood up rather abruptly.

"I've got to get to class," she announced, her face blank of its previous emotion, whatever it was. She hurried off.

And, forced to move at human speed through the sudden crowd of teenagers rushing to their classes, we had to watch her go.

**Bella's POV:**

Wow.

Just, wow.

I had so much to think about on my walk to biology. I let down the physical shield I'd been keeping up since I went to sit at their table. They'd been wondering why I was so comfortable. I knew I couldn't be hurt, not with my shield. Which, I noted with happiness, was getting easier and easier to keep up.

They'd been careful, of course. But with their words, not their thoughts.

Firstly, they'd confirmed my suspicions that they weren't human. They had never, in their minds, put a name to it, but they were something...else.

Secondly, they had enhanced eyesight. Edward had reflected on that when he caught a minuscule sign of my displeasure at being in Forks.

Thirdly, my comment on the weather in Forks had reminded Edward that clouds and rain were essential to them. I had no clue what the heck that could mean.

Fourth, I just realized that in the beginning of the conversation, Edward reflected on not being able to... _smell_ me very well. Possibly, enhanced sense of smell. Was it possible that my physical shield had somehow done that? I'd have to think about that more...

Fifth... Edward had thought that Jasper was immortal, which was the reason he had read so many books. Were they all that way? How could such a thing be possible?

Sixth (this was getting to be much too long a list), Jasper _did _have a gift. It just didn't work on me. Because, as Edward had put it, I was a "mental mute".

I stopped in the middle of the hallway and dropped my face down into my hands. Six impossible pieces in one big mystery. It seemed as if I was putting together a recipe, but there weren't any directions. And the ingredients list was in Vietnamese. Not to mention incomplete. And the recipe had been passed along, telephone style, through the continental US previous to being written down. Frustrating.

There, in the middle of the hallway, I had an epiphany.

The Cullens - with the possible exception of Rosalie - had been nothing but nice to me. And I refused to judge them based on the scetchy mental evidence that I had plucked unfairly from their brains. I would keep trying to solve the puzzle, yes- but I refused to drive myself crazy.

With this in mind, I continued on to biology. Entering the classroom, I was so absorbed, that I didn't notice Edward siting at one of the desks in the back of the room. However, two events happened that brought my attention to him.

A fan blew in my direction.

And Edward Cullen's thoughts turned into horrible, all-consuming bloodlust.

One word went thorough my mind.

Vampire.

###

I may be echoing Bella right now, but seeing as I gave her those words, I think I have a right to.

Wow. Just, wow.

I find it just a bit incredible that this time last week I didn't even write FanFiction, and now I have 18 favorites, 37 follows, and _over 800 views. _I would probably still write even without any of those, but it makes it much easier, keeping those people who clicked on my story in the back of my mind.

Anyhow. Back to the story.

So, if anyone needs clarification, yes, the physical shield I mentioned in the first chapter does prevent Bella from smelling so good to Edward, which was the only way that they'd have been able to carry a conversation without him plotting ways to kill her, like it biology the first time around. She's pretty much figured out everything about the Cullens in less than six hours. So, nice work, Bella. I anticipate a visit to the Cullen house _very_ soon this time around. Next chapter, Bella fits everything into place, and decides how she feels about the Cullens. Heavy. I might fit in a funny Emmett scene to lighten things up.

-Anna


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day.**

###

**Bella's POV:**

Shock rippled through my frame. Vampires didn't exist — they _don't_ exist. And yet… I had no other word for Edward Cullen. Everything made a bit of sense now… in the most insane, nonsensical way.

All of these thoughts passed through my mind in an instant. I was brought out of my disjointed mental ramblings by the sight of Edward. He was hunched over, every muscle in his body tensed and his hands clenched so tightly that it must be painful. And he was pining me in place with a malicious glare, and — were his eyes _black_?

My physical shield came up. I had no doubt that _this_ Edward was dangerous. Almost as soon as I had done so, he relaxed ever so slightly, and his glare turned to horror. He looked away, seemingly unnerved.

"Isabella?" said my teacher — Mr. Banner, according to the plaque on his desk. He said it curiously, and his tone made me realize that the silent confrontation had left me standing there, in the middle of the isle, looking at Edward, for almost a minute. I flushed a deep shade of crimson. "Bella." I contradicted quietly, passing him the slip I needed signed.

"You can take a seat by Mr. Cullen there — if that's all right," he said, looking concerned. I nodded my head. I knew nothing could hurt me with my shield up. Besides, it was the only seat left. And somehow — impossibly — I still felt intrigued with Edward. The mind reader. The… _vampire_. The bronze-haired Adonis — but that was neither here nor there. He tensed again as I took my seat next to him. After a while, though, he relaxed.

I was about to dive into his mind when I stopped. I realized what an invasion of his privacy that was. When I was trying to figure out his secret, fine— but I couldn't go rooting through his thoughts every time I was curious. How rude that would be. Maybe I could just _talk_ to him.

"Hi, Edward. Remember me from lunch?" I asked, trying to make conversation.

"Hello." he said briefly in his velvet-like voice. He angled his chair away from mine, discouraging any more conversation.

I sighed, a little hurt. God forbid that it would be that easy to get answers. Still, I could probably figure it out myself. I reclined back in my chair, preparing to go through a class period of very concentrated thinking.

He was a vampire. So what did that imply? I made a mental list.

Movies: immortal, pale, sleeps in coffins, fanged, blood-drinking, killed by garlic, the sun, wooden stakes, holy water, etc.

I shook my head, barely holding back a snort/chuckle. Edward looked as if he was going to glance at me, then stopped himself. None of that fit the vampires in question. Which raised the following problem; what did? Another list…

What I Know: immortal — maybe — , pale (so maybe that fit). _Special_ talents, not too unlike me. Enhanced eyesight, possibly smell. Gorgeous. Actually, Edward had seemed to imply with his thoughts at an aversion to sunlight, so maybe that fit too.

On to the next question. How come Edward had been perfectly fine sitting with me at lunch, then tensed up during biology, and now no longer seemed bothered by my presence? What had been the instigator? I reflected that Edward's thoughts had been focused on bloodlust during our strange encounter. But why didn't he feel bloodlust now? I realized the difference: my shield. During lunch, and right now, it was up. Was this interfering with his sense of smell? I wondered if I dared to test it. Then I shook my head, realizing that I would do anything to figure out this little mystery, however reckless.

I flickered my shield just once.

The reaction was immediate. Too fast for the eye to see, he was hunched over in the same position as in the beginning of class, looking as if he was hiding from the weight of the world. I felt horrible for doing that too him, yet added_ incredible speed_ to my list of vampiric qualities. He was already relaxing, and his eyes flickered to mine with shock and confusion. I hoped my expression gave nothing away, and yet, I knew I was an open book. He turned away.

Now I knew that it was crucial for me to keep my shield up whenever I was near him. I had to wonder. Not everyone in the school had physical shields, but he didn't look like he was in pain all the time. Did this mean that I smelled somehow different to him then everyone else? I realized I had a lot to potentially fear from Edward. There was every chance that he hunted humans, and was waiting until school was over to go on a massacre.

So why couldn't I bring myself to care?

I sighed. I knew I was silly sometimes, but this was plain stupid. Not to mention reckless. Possible suicidal. And yet… I couldn't leave. I couldn't just ignore Edward and stay safely out of harm's way. I flinched at the thought.

That being the case, what were my options? I really had only one.

I could find out more about the Cullens. I could be stupid, and reckless, and suicidal. Because the other option — ignoring them — was too difficult to bear.

Mind made up, I spent the rest of the hour chancing glances at Edward in between listening to the teacher drone on about prokaryotic cells.

**Edward's POV:**

How could one person possibly be as… Bella-ish as Isabella Swan?

Yes, Bella-ish. I truly had no better word for it. None that I had come across in my century of life, that is. She was confusing, and intriguing. She was somehow stubbornly, yet subconsciously, refusing to let down her mental guard.

And apparently, she had a secret of her own.

Only a few seconds after she had entered my biology class, I had caught a scent that was unlike anything else I had come across in my 87 years since I had been changed. I could focus on one thing only. I had to hunt her down and drain the life from her. It was the only logical reaction to the incredibly intense burning in my throat, to the _need_.

And then it was gone.

My expression must have revealed shock and horror at what I had almost just done in front of a classroom of witnesses. Then it turned to extreme confusion.

How had I not noticed that devastating aroma when Bella sat with us at lunch? My eyes followed her up to the front desk. What was her role in this? Could it be possible that the disappearance of the scent was something that she had a role in? Or had it been in my imagination?

I shook that thought off. Vampires were incapable of being mentally unwell, and I doubted that I could have imagined something that strong.

I noticed Bella walking towards me… towards the only empty seat in the room. Oh.

Waiting for her scent to hit me again, I tensed up, trying to prepare. I smelled nothing but the same far-off smell I had picked up at lunch. She smelled good, but it was so much weaker than it had been that it was no effort at all to brush it off. I relaxed slightly.

Concentration on Mr. Banner was made impossible with her sitting next to me. She tried to make conversation once. I cut her off, remembering how her sent had affected me. It was better that she had nothing to do with me or my family, really, and I realized what an oversight it had been, letting her sit with us. It was better that she had nothing to do with our world. And yet… her disappointment when I ignored her almost made me want to take it back, to invite her into the life of me and my family. How selfish of me.

Throughout the class, I watched her from the corner of my eye, getting steadily more frustrated as emotions flickered across her face and I had no idea what was causing them. Within a few minutes, she went from disappointed to amused to contemplative to slightly curious. I would have cracked and asked her what she was thinking right then and there, if not for what happened next.

The scent flickered back. It was only for an instant, but it was enough to make me want to lunge for Bella's throat. Once I had gotten control of myself, I glanced at her. She seemed as unsettled as I was, though you could be certain it was for a different reason. More than that, she seemed a bit… guilty? And it looked as if she had just figured something out, though I couldn't begin to guess what. Aside from my behavior earlier in class, she had no indicators of what my family and I were. I went back to watching her as her face settled on contentment, or satisfaction, or something similar. She truly was an odd human.

At the end of class, she turned to me. "So, I was wondering if I could come over sometime after school? It was fun hanging out with you and Alice at the rest of your family during lunch." This jolted me out of my thoughts. It didn't seem at all like she was trying to invite herself on a date with me, like so many other girls at this school. I wondered for a second, though, if I would _want_ to turn her down if that was the case.

Berating myself mentally, I replied to her question. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe that would be possible," I replied, intentionally not giving a reason, hoping that she would pick up the message and stay away from my family, for her own good.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, before composing herself. "Alright then, just thought I'd ask," she said, failing to keep the hurt out of her voice. As she left the classroom, Newton (who appeared very upset at my conversation with her, however short) caught up to her and struck up a conversation. I suddenly wished I had accepted her offer. Shaking my head, began walking to Spanish.

…

After the bell had rung, I started walking to my Volvo, parked in the lot. Before I reached my destination, I encountered a currently very pissed black-haired pixie.

"Why the hell do I see you forcing our family to stay away from a certain girl who doesn't seem to show up in my visions — the _only_ girl who doesn't show up in my visions?" demanded Alice.

"You must see how wrong — how selfish — it would be to get her tangled up with company like us." I replied smoothly, anticipating this reaction from her.

"To _hell_ with that!" she screeched. "It doesn't matter that I can't see her, we're supposed to be best friends, I _know_ we are—"

"Alice!" yelled a voice, _her_ voice. "Wait up!"

Alice paused to grin at me smugly — not that I didn't know exactly what she was thinking — before rushing off to meet Bella.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically, finally reaching Bella. "How was your first day?"

"Oh, it was good," she said conversationally, while looking contemplative. They started walking towards the lot. "But what I really wanted to know was if you were still up for the shopping trip that you mentioned at lunch."

Alice's mouth dropped. Her eyes bugged out. Then she exploded.

"Oh, OF COURSE, Bella! Oh my gosh, you have to come over to my house later today, we'll plan it all out! It'll be so much FUN!"

By now they were standing outside the Volvo, and Alice was very pointedly ignoring the daggers I was shooting at her with my eyes. My family was approaching as well. Mostly they were curious, although Rosalie was fuming.

"Of course, Alice." replied Bella, looking a bit amused.

Just then, a booming laugh echoed around the now filling up parking lot. "Girlie, you have no idea what you just signed up for," roared Emmett, shaking with laughter.

A corner of Bella's mouth twitched. "Oh, really? Pray tell me."

"Well," began Emmett, eyes shining with mirth, "At least six hours of tromping around various malls, possibly a few hundred miles away. Enough clothing purchased to clothe many small countries. A serious hit on your funds, and a more serious hit on Alice's."

Bella feigned horror. "Alice, you wouldn't subject me to that… would you?"

Alice stuck out her tongue at Emmett playfully before addressing her. "Maybe," she replied, giggling.

Putting a hand to her heart and taking a step back, Bella gasped. Then she sighed. "Alas. 'Things without all remedy should be with out regard: what's done, is done.' " While I was standing shocked at the direct quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth, she continued, smiling playfully. "So, I forgive you."

"You haven't been on one of her shopping trips, obviously, or you'd know forgiveness is neither wanted nor deserved." interjected Jasper softly, a smile playing around his mouth.

"Shut up," said Alice, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Then she turned back to Bella. "So, come over sometime after dinner? Around six?"

"Sure." replied Bella easily, heading back to her truck. "See you later!" she called over her shoulder.

I stood there for a minute, glaring at Alice. She shrugged, grinning broadly.

_'Ha! Take that, Eddie!'_ she thought triumphantly, in direct contrast to her actions. I rolled my eyes. My family piled into my car and I took the driver's seat.

How was it possible that such a small person could be so hugely irritating?

###

Oh, you guys must hate me by now. I've been terrible about updating. It's been like, what, five days? Six? I hope this chapter was worth it. I've been sitting at my computer for almost four hours now, typing this up. And, yes, I did steal that last line in the story from BD, but hey, it fit. Edward is trying to go all martyr here, sacrificing his and his family's happiness for Bella. Get with it, Edward. She loves you and you love her. Let's skip the drama.

I'm not going to, of course. What, did you think I'd go and be all boring like that? The story wouldn't be very long. Besides, we have Alice to prevent Edward fro up-and-leaving Bella. Also, she'll doubtlessly try to push them together. She's not going to let her brother be an idiot.

Anyhow, next chapter is going to be Bella meeting Esme and Carlisle. And… I'm not going to say much more than that, I think. Partly because I want to keep it a secret, partly because I haven't decided what I'm doing yet :)

Thanks for sticking with me over the weekdays!

-Anna


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer- Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day.**

###

I was triumphant as I drove home in my truck. It seemed as if Alice would be a more than efficient way to...

To what?

What exactly was I trying to accomplish, here? I'd wanted to find out more about the Cullens, of course. But that wasn't why I'd invited myself over to their house.

I shook my head. I was just being silly. Of course I just wanted to find out more about them. There wasn't any other explanation.

At that point in time, my rebellious mind just _had _to go and bring a certain bronze-haired god to mind.

Irritated with myself, I pushed the image from my mind. However, it kept popping back up all night. While I was working on my Trig homework, when I made a mental note to restock the fridge, when Charlie got home, when I told him I was going to Alice's house. I felt oddly buoyant as I was driving there, and yet I told myself quite firmly that this had absolutely nothing to do with Edward. I was simply very excited to go shopping.

Nope, couldn't do it. Excited? To go shopping? Couldn't even think that sentence without laughing.

Ok, so maybe it had absolutely everything to do with Edward. So what? It wasn't as though he'd like someone as boring as _me._ And besides, there was still that itsy-bitty problem of him being an immortal vampire who probably killed people and drank their blood. Remind me why I was driving _towards _his house again?

_Because you love him._

Oh, right.

Wait, _what? _

I stopped the truck on the side of the road. I was fairly certain that my subconscious had just admitted to loving a boy I had known all of one day. But when I really thought about it, how else would I describe it? I had known him for _hours_, and I hadn't been able to stop thinking about him since I first saw him. That was either love, or the first sign of stalkerish tendencies. Maybe a bit of both. I decided to try it out, just in my head.

_I love... Edward Cullen._

_I love Edward._

Damn it. If I wasn't in love with Edward, then why did that sound so _right?_

And that was the moment that something clicked.

I, Bella Swan, mind reader, was in love with Edward Cullen, vampire, and also mind reader.

Holy Crow.

Shaking my head at the absurdity, yet absolute truth of it all, I continued my drive. I was so deep in my thoughts, I almost missed the turnoff to their driveway, which was partially obscured by trees and nearly three mines long. But it was the house at the end of the driveway that was the most shocking. There, amidst the leafy forest of Forks, was an enormous white mansion that appeared both graceful and timeless. I exited the truck, and made my way to the front door. I knocked only once before the door was flung open by a widely grinning Alice.

_"Bella!"_ she squealed, throwing her arms around me. Her skin was as cold and as hard as marble, but I didn't flinch. I had been expecting something along those lines. I just laughed at her enthusiasm. It was a good thing I had remembered my physical shield, or I could've been crushed.

"Nice to see you too, Alice," I chuckled.

Alice introduced me to two vampires standing behind her. They had been watching this display, seeming mildly shocked at my nonexistent reaction to their unusual skin. She identified a female with a kind face and carmel-colored hair as Esme. The second one was a male that seemed to radiate compassion. With his golden hair and eyes, the overall effect was that of staring directly at the sun. Alice said that his name was Carlisle.

"Pleased to meet you," I said, extending a hand. "My name is Bella."

They hesitated for a fraction of a second. Carlisle approached me first. "Bella. Welcome," he said, shaking my hand.

"Lovely to meet you!" said Esme, smiling warmly.

"You home is beautiful," I said, eyeing the back wall, which was made completely of glass.

Her eyes lit up. "Oh, do you like it? Alice helped me with the renovations a few years ago..."

My jaw dropped. "You did this?"

Now Esme looked modest, and slightly embarrassed. "Well, yes."

"It looks fantastic," I told her truthfully.

She smiled.

I peeked at their thoughts. Carlisle was reflecting on how it was odd that I hadn't seemed shocked by the cool fell of their skin, and Esme thought I seemed very kind. I would have thought they were regular people if I didn't know better. Just then, Alice seemed to decide that she had shared me for long enough, and began dragging me off to her bedroom. We plopped down on her bed and began discussing shopping plans.

"Ok, so we're going to have to hit Pacific Place in Seattle, they've got a skybridge to Nordstrom, and, _oh,_ definitely Bellevue Square! They've got all the best stores... I think we'll have to do this on a Saturday, no way are we going to have enough time after school... Do you prefer Aeropostale or Banana Republic? Because I think the former sort of screams 'tween'..."

I smiled and nodded in all the right places. I could tell me and Alice were going to be good friends, but shopping wasn't really my thing. Still, her enthusiasm was contagious. I found myself actually anticipating the shopping trip on Saturday.

Just then, I heard the most incredible music coming from downstairs. I interrupted Alice by pressing my fingers to her lips, not wanting the music to be interrupted. She was confused for a second, then realized I was captivated by the music. I crept down the stairs, and found my way into a big room with a stunning grand piano.

It was being played by Edward.

His eyes were closed, and his fingers were flying impossibly fast but just short of vampire speed. It didn't look like he was paying any attention to the world around him. I noticed that Esme and Carlisle were already there, seemingly as entranced by the music as I was. Alice was right behind me, and Jasper crept down after a few seconds. I thought I recognized the music. When he finished the music, I inquired softly, "Clair de lune?"

His eyes snapped open, and locked on mine. "Bella," he said, shocked. "You're still here?"

I pouted. "Well, don't look so pleased to see me," I joked. Then I frowned. "What do you mean, 'still here'?"

"It's half past nine," he clarified, looking amused.

I looked at a nearby clock for confirmation. It was indeed nine thirty.

"Holy crow!" I exclaimed. Then I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "Why didn't you tell me it was so late?"

She smiled sheepishly. "You didn't ask. And we were having so much _fun_..."

I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and made my way to the door. Just before I left, I turned to Edward. "Your playing is beautiful," I said softly. Then I hurried out of their house before they could see my embarrassed blush. I hated that Edward had the power to make me feel this way... But I also loved it.

**Edward's POV: **

I hadn't meant to let her hear me playing, but I was strangely... pleased, that Bella had thought it sounded nice. She probably thought that I hadn't seen the way she blushed when she walked away, but my vampire vision missed nothing. It had looked lovely with her cream-colored skin and mahogany hair.

It was times like this when I truly appreciated my status as the lone mind reader of the family.

"I'm going hunting," I announced in a normal voice. My family would hear from anywhere on our property.

_'Have fun. Be safe.'_ Esme couldn't resist mother henning me, despite the fact that I was technically older than her.

"Of course." I replied. No one commented on my one-sided conversation. They were used to it. I sprinted out the back door, not certain where I was going. Until, that was, I found myself in the backyard of a familiar scent - Bella's backyard. I sighed to myself and was turning to leave when I heard a very intriguing sound.

_"Too green..."_

Bella talked in her sleep? This I had to hear.

There was a tree growing next to her windows, which were luckily cracked open. I got in easily enough, then froze.

The scent from biology was back.

I knew without having to guess that my eyes were pitch black, knew by the flames in my throat. I stopped breathing. This made it fractionally easier to think rationally. On the way out, I grabbed a sock from her dirty clothes bin. I brought it as evidence for my family that Bella Swan was more than she appeared.

###

Umm… so, I'm really sorry about the long delay. I was sort of… erm, banned… from fan fiction until yesterday for being way too obsessive about it.

Oops.

But, hey! I'm back now! And I celebrated my return with the first six chapters of my new story, _Provoking the Volturi_. I think it's pretty good so far, but please, check it out for yourself!

-Anna


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer- Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day.**

###

**Edward's POV:**

By the time I got home, Rosalie and Emmett were back from their impromptu shopping trip. Which Rose had announced seconds after she learned Bella would be coming over. She really hadn't made much of an effort to hide her distaste of Alice's new human friend. Perhaps she was right to be distrustful, in light of recent events.

When I showed the sock to the rest of the family, everyone's thoughts turned shocked and confused. But only Jasper seemed to understand how amazingly appetizing it was, and that was only through his gift. Still, the fact that she had managed to conceal her scent was incredible. However, my family agreed that the most worrisome part was the fact that she _knew_ to conceal her scent.

Carlisle addressed the family with worried eyes. "Could this mean that she knows what we are? The dangers that we present?"

I snorted. "Of course not. All humans have _some_ preservation instinct. She practically invited herself over, no thanks to Alice." I shot her a glare. She looked a bit sheepish. "If she knew what we were, she would be sure to stay _far_ away from us."

Esme looked thoughtful. "Could it be that Bella is not completely human herself?"

Raising an eyebrow, I held out the sock.

She winced. "Right." Then she plowed on. "But that wasn't exactly what I meant. Jasper was naturally charismatic before he became a vampire. You could already guess at what people thought about most of the time. Perhaps Bella has some sort of… shield?"

Rosalie snorted. "Please. Gifts can't manifest themselves that clearly before the transformation."

I raised an eyebrow defensively. For some reason, I felt the urge to stand up Bella. "Oh, really? Then how is it that she was able to block _all_ of our gifts?"

Carlisle and Esme were shocked. I realized that we hadn't shared that information with them.

_'Truly, you cannot read her mind?'_ thought Carlisle. I nodded once. His mind started filling with possible scientific explanations. Ironic, considering we were mythical creatures.

Indignant, Alice sniffed. "So? She may be a freak like us. The important thing is that she is going _shopping_ with me on Saturday! Which, if I recall, none of _you_ were willing to do!"

Emmett snorted. "Because we know better!"

After that, the conversation dissolved into good-natured arguing, most of the tension pushed to the back of our minds, if not forgotten.

…

The rest of the week at school was fairly uneventful. All my siblings were watching Bella for some slip up where she revealed hitherto unknown powers.

Needless to say, it was not particularly exciting.

However, I did notice that Bella seemed remarkably perceptive. Every once in a while, she would get a look on her face like… like she knew something. I occasionally saw her staring right at Emmett once when he accidentally moved slightly to fast to be human. I whispered under my breath, in a voice much too low and quick for any human to hear, that she had seen. Emmett gave me a quick apologetic glance. Then Bella had turned her remarkably perceptive brown eyes onto _me_.

It was times like these that I became incredibly frustrated at whatever force protected her thoughts.

Of course, I did get a bit of an insight into her mind. I was slightly ashamed by my actions, but every night, I snuck into her room. I knew it was incredibly dangerous, for this was the one time where her scent was full force. But I was becoming slowly desensitized. It was worth it. All of her shields were down— mentally, and orally. It turned out that Bella did talk in her sleep, quite frequently. Simple, inconsequential things. Things like, "Too much fish," and, "No, Renee, bad idea…"

I was in her bedroom now. She looked… beautiful, when she was sleeping. Relaxed; peaceful. For the first time since I was created, I wished I could sleep. Of course, to do that, I would need to have a soul, I supposed.

Bella stirred. Her heartbeat picked up, and I sensed that she was about to wake. Quickly, I dashed out her window and hid in the forest at the edge of her house.

**Bella's POV:**

Waking up, I guessed that it was just past midnight.

So why was someone's thoughts in my room?

_'…beautiful, when she's sleeping. Relaxed; peaceful.'_

I recognized that mental voice. Why was Edward in my room? Did being supernatural give you automatic stalker rights to whomever you wish? Well, if that was the game he was going to play, then I guess I had an all-express pass into his mind.

_'I wish I could sleep…of course, I'd need to have a soul to do that…'_

I stirred uneasily. Of course Edward would notice. He thought I was waking up, and dashed out of my bedroom.

Sitting up, I reached out with my mind, looking at the whole property. Edward was still there. Somehow, I wasn't as pissed as I would have been if it was, say, Mike Newton. I shuddered at the thought. I pushed him out of my thoughts.

So… vampires couldn't sleep. Ever. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. But surely that didn't mean you had no soul? I would have to find out a way to gracefully bring up the conversation without revealing my special… talent. Although, it wasn't as if the Cullens had much room to be critical of other supernatural things.

An idea struck me. I had to prevent myself from giggling, which I literally _never did_. I laid back on my pillows, calmed my heartbeat, and tried to be still. I must have been a better actress than I thought, because Edward was back within a few minutes. Rolling over, I deliberately sighed into my pillow, _"Edward."_

He froze. Even his thoughts halted. Served him right for spying on me. Then he started up again, slowly. _'Did she just say…'_

"Edward," I sighed again, more clearly. I didn't intentionally wrap my voice around his name like a caress, but I supposed that was helpful.

_'She's… dreaming of me?' _I felt an emotion remarkably similar to what I felt every time I saw him. It was sort of a fluttering in your stomach, and an aching in your chest, and just a bit of wonder that filled you up. It was very strange, and I couldn't put a name to it.

Edward studied me, then moved toward the window. "No!" I cried out softly. He froze again. I tried to resume the dreamlike quality to my voice. "Don't go…"

He hesitated, then sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. Confident that he wouldn't leave, I relaxed. I thought I caught a hint of his thoughts. _'Never, my Bella."_

No, that couldn't have been right. That was my own wishful thinking. That was what I wished he would say because… With a jolt, I thought I could now put a name to my feelings towards him.

Love.

If that was the case, then I was in trouble. Because he almost certainly didn't feel the same way towards me. But in my current dreamlike state I felt the urge to make sure he knew that. "I love you, Edward." The words were out of my mouth before I could pause to consider them.

If his thoughts were shocked before, they were absolutely stunned now, and I was sure that his facial expressions mirrored that. I never did catch what he thought about my statement, because I was already falling asleep.

Of course, I dreamed of Edward.

###

Oh, isn't it just so fluffy? I did like writing this chapter, but it's really short. I hoped that everyone liked reading it. Sorry, I didn't really get any work done on Thanksgiving. My parents said something about "socializing". Whoever invented that ridiculous concept? I just don't mingle well with people. I think it's because I'm socially elite. My friend thinks it's because I'm socially inept. Oh, well.

Potayto, Potahto.

-Anna


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer- Twilight and everything in it belongs to Stephanie Meyer. I suppose I'll get over it one day. **

###

**Bella's POV:**

Fudge.

The first thing I remembered from last night was, of course, my fake sleep talking, and what I'd accidentally let slip. I groaned, and slapped my hand to my forehead. The second thing I remembered was that this was Saturday… the day of my shopping trip with Alice.

Sleep muttering and shopping. How do I keep getting myself into these situations?

Sighing, I threw on a blue blouse and some jeans. I knew that there were probably plenty go good reasons to be having a bad day because of vampires. Being killed by them would be one. So would having a friend or family member killed by them. Perfectly legitimate reasons to be ticked. I didn't know much about vampires, but I supposed that having to go on a shopping trip didn't fit into the category of a good reason to be depressed.

I drove over to the Cullen's house after a quick breakfast of lucky charms. Probably not something socially acceptable for me to be eating, but who cared? They're "magically delicious."

Ringing the doorbell, I muttered a quick prayer, despite having no particular religion. _Please don't let Edward answer, please don't, please don't…_

It was Edward, of course.

Trying my best to act normal, I put a smile on my face. "Hey!" I chirped. "Is Alice home?"

He stared at me, studying my face, golden eyes burning into my chocolate ones. _'She doesn't look like she remembers… but does that mean it's not true? Ug, why can't I read her mind?'_

"Um, Alice?" I reminded him. He'd been looking at me for longer than would be considered normal.

He didn't look embarrassed to be caught out. Instead, he called out "Alice? Your friend is here." i a voice hardly louder than normal.

As if that was her cue, Alice pranced down the stairs, yelling "Hi, Bella!" _'Stop looking at her like that, Edward, you're going to freak her out.'_

Edward looked away. _'I just wish I knew who this girl is, and why I'm so obsessed with her…'_

I straightened up and beamed. He could have meant something completely different… but I didn't think so. At least he wasn't avoiding me like the black plague when he found out how obsessed I was. Maybe I was being an optimist, but I took that to be a good sign.

I couldn't contemplate any longer, as Alice was dragging me out the front door. "C'mon, Bella! Bellevue Square is at least two hours away, and we need at least six to go shopping! And the return trip is another two hours, so if you want to get back before midnight, we've got to move!"

"Alice, Bellevue is four hours away."

She flashed me a wicked grin. "Not if you've got the right car."

"And aren't concerned with pesky things like speed limits," added Edward, his eyes filled with the same "need for speed" mania.

"Now I'm worried." I said, only half joking.

Alice feigned hurt. "Only now? Gosh, I must be loosing my touch." Then she broke into a dazzling smile. "Let's go!" _'Before Edward finds out I'm taking his Volvo… oops,'_

Edward didn't miss this. "Alice, you're not taking my Volvo, are you?" he called as she pulled me out the front door. His thoughts were genuinely panicked. It was hugely funny. I actually giggled along with Alice. I repeat: _I never giggle_.

Is this what it feels like to be in love? Always happy, a completely different you? Because if it was, I never wanted to let it go.

…

Usually, I would get bored on long car rides. However, it was a bit difficult to do when one happens to be in a car that's going _upwards of a hundred twenty miles and hour_.

"Holy crow, Alice, I thought you were joking!" I said.

"Of course not!" she said, pretending to take offense. "I thought you knew I keep my promises!"

I moaned and put my face in my hands. "But if we get in a crash, _I _won't be walking away." Then I froze. Oh, please don't let her notice the emphasis on I.

She did notice. _'Hmm, that seems suspicious. She couldn't know… but I'd better ask her about it…'_

"Bella," began Alice hesitantly, "why did you put an emphasis on _I_?"

I thought quickly. "Oh, haven't you noticed yet?" I said, working to keep my voice light. "I'm cripplingly clumsy. It's terrible, really. I can barely walk without tripping."

Alice laughed, relieved.

I laughed with her, thankful that I could think up that so quickly. I might've been slightly proud, as well.

The rest of the car ride was filled with idle chitchat. I made no more slip ups, and the conversation was easy. _This must be what it's like to have a sister,_ I thought. And Alice was like a sister to me, despite the fact that I hadn't known her for longer than a week.

Any good feelings I had for Alice were crushed when I saw Bellevue Square.

"Alice, it's huge," I said. "And way too posh."

"But's it's got the best collection in Seattle!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Alice sighed, exasperated. " . They've got all the cutest things! Really, Bella, keep up."

After a few minutes of begging, coaxing, and threatening my collection of Jane Austen novels, Alice finally got me in the store. We spent hours looking through ridiculously overpriced stores— BCBGMAXAZRIA, Farinaz Taghavi, Max Mara, and , as promised— none of which I had heard of before. Alice, of course, had a field day. I tried to humor her. We did go to some more well-known stores as well, but they were places like Nordstrom and Banana Republic. Alice wouldn't let me anywhere near the jeans or sweatshirts.

"I'm protecting you from yourself!" she said indignantly when I complained.

I had to roll my eyes at that one.

All in all, I only got around two tops and a pair of jeans that Alice gave the okay on. They were too fancy for my style, but Alice was truly a force to be reckoned with. All in all, we were there for about six hours, proving that Alice did, in fact, keep her word. I had to beg for her to stop for food at just after two in the afternoon. We'd been going nonstop for about four hours.

"Alice! I need food," I said pathetically.

She narrowed her eyes, but eventually gave in._ 'Feeding time for the human,' _she grumbled to herself mentally. We ended up at a place called Pagliacci Pizza. It was really good. However, it didn't escape my notice that Alice didn't touch her Pesto Salad. So halfway through my Spinach & Chicken pizza, I took a few bites, not wanting others to notice that she wasn't eating anything.

She looked at me, bemused. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing the chef a favor," I said. "He'd be offended if he noticed you didn't even try your food.

Alice thought for a moment, then shrugged. _'If it makes me seem more human..."_

After we ate, Alice dragged me relentlessly back to shopping, attacking the stores with a vengeance unlike any to ever hit Bellevue. It was mildly frightening. She literally had twenty bags at the end. Eventually, we noticed it was getting late. At around five, we left, thirty bags in tow. Only two were mine.

I was wiped out. "Alice," I moaned, packing bags into the back of the Volvo. "Never do this to me again!"

"Of course not, Bella." She said reassuringly. If not for my whole mind-reading thing, I wouldn't have noticed her crossing her fingers behind her back. I narrowed my eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling you're lying?"

"Because I am."

We looked at each other, deadpan, then burst out laughing.

...

All in all, it was a pretty good evening. Sure, my feet were killing me, but it was worth it. Alice was definitely the best friend I'd ever had, despite her strange obsession with shopping. We burst in her front door almost doubled over with laughter, towing just over half the bags, the ones Alice instructed me to bring in first. She was telling me about the time she and her sister, Rosalie, the one who didn't seem to like me much, pulled a prank on their brother Emmett. They went to a mall without him- and the mall was also a water park!

"You should have seen his face!" laughed Alice. Thanks to my talent, I did. His eyebrows were pulled together and his mouth was slightly open in an expression of disbelief. It was pretty comical, and I was shaking with laughter. That was how we burst in the door. Of course, Emmett was sitting on the couch kissing Rosalie, and that set me off again.

Emmett turned to me, feigning disbelief. "Hey, girlie, you survived!"

"D-did Ali-Alice and- and Rosalie really- really go to a water park- without you!" I got out between gasps of laughter.

His face turned to the exact same one in Alice's memory, which set me off again. "No fair!" he whined, looking like a big toddler. "She told you about that?" Then his face turned devious, and he grinned. "I bet she didn't tell you about the time..."

"NO!" said Alice, running past me at a speed to fast for a human and cupping a hand over Emmett's mouth. Than she seemed to realize what she had done and turned to face me in horror.

I really didn't want the Cullens to avoid me because. I knew their secret, so I thought quick. "Wow, Alice, you should be on the track team," I said, arching my eyebrows. She laughed nervously.

Just then, Esme distracted me. "Bella, dear!" she said, the image of motherly affection.

"Esme!" I said, hugging her, because it felt so natural. She stiffened, seemingly surprised, then returned the hug.

_'What a sweet girl Bella is! She can't be a danger to us, even if she does have some strange power over her scent...'_

I stiffened, and Esme let go of me. _'What did I do wrong?'_ she thought, concerned. I smiled at her, to set her at ease.

"It's very nice seeing you again," I said politely. "If you'll excuse me, I have to get home now." I smiled at Alice. "Thanks for the trip. I had lots of fun. Do you remember which of the bags left in the Volvo are mine?

Alice looked shifty, and strangely guilty. "Well..." _'I hope she doesn't mind that I bought the rest for her..."_

My eyes widened, and I jumped half a foot in the air, screeching "_What!?_

Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Alice stared at me, and I realized I had slipped up again. I shifted. "Uh, I just had an epiphany." Shen I narrowed my eyes at Alice. "You bought the rest of the clothes for me, didn't you," I said, accusatory.

She nodded her head guiltily.

"Alice," I complained, "That's hundreds of dollars in clothing! I can't pay you back for all that!"

Now Alice looked indignant. "I don't want you to pay me back, Bella! I bought you those clothes because they looked cute on you, and you wouldn't get them!"

"But-"

"No buts, Bella! Consider them a present. Please?" she begged, turning her golden Bambi eyes on me. My heart melted.

"Fine, but never again," I warned.

"Of course not, Bella!" she said eagerly.

I walked to the door and was halfway out before calling back. "Alice?"

"Yes?"

I paused for maximum effect. "Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me?"

She was still laughing as I pulled out of the driveway.

...

It was only later, when I was laying in bed, that I thought about what Esme had thought. Gosh, how strange was my life that I could even use that sentence? But still. They knew that I was hiding my scent from them. Granted, it was for my own protection, but still, they knew. I didn't think my experiment in biology was enough to reveal that to Edward, so it had been some new development. But I was shielded every waking moment...

_Every waking __moment. _

_Every_ waking _moment_.

Edward was in here almost every night, if last night was anything to judge by. Was I able to keep up my shield when I was asleep? With a sinking heart, I realized I probably couldn't. But then, why hadn't Edward killed me?

I shook my head. I would have to wait until the morning to get answers. Or would I? With a sly grin, I pushed open my windows.

###

This is sort of a filler chapter, but next chapter comes from Edward's POV, and comes with a major epiphany. I hope I've got you excited.

-Anna


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